A tragic legacy
A tragic legacy
Brutal acts of violence and murders, such as the senseless
"killing fields of Aceh", "bloody Semanggi", and "the Ketapang
free fight" are merely a reflection of the way this nation was
brought to its 53rd birthday, under authoritarian rule for more
than 50 percent of its lifetime. All of these incidents have
tragic consequences, not only for those killed or injured, but
also for their families and communities and, indeed, for the
national psyche. It is fair to say that we have all been
victimized by these brutal incidents.
This is especially true when one sees this shocking picture on
the front page of a leading newspaper: a blood-soaked human body
is dragged by the feet while other people elatedly beat the body,
not knowing or caring whether the man is still alive or already
dead. Are we living in a nation where even our own neighborhoods
have been turned into places of mass murder; a nation where
homicide in our business community has been added to the ever-
growing list of hazards we face each day; a nation where our
forefathers proudly built a gigantic mosque next to a legendary
church, only to be torn apart as the result of ethnic, racial,
religious and societal issues; a nation where anyone who opts for
high civilian or military positions cannot escape the obligatory
pre-service training of civics. I faintly recall the hard times
when the rebellious Sukarno voiced his concerns before foreign
colonial rulers, now it is even harder because we have to face
the oppression of our own fellow countrymen.
If we are to state who is to blame, then allow me to rephrase
statements of Charles Patrick Ewing, a forensic psychologist,
attorney, and professor of law of Buffalo University: "The causes
of violence (in our society) are obvious to anyone who cares to
look for them", i.e., abuse (by the government), poverty (caused
by corporations), exposure to violence (by the military), and
failure to transmit values (by religious leaders). Would it be
too difficult to discover who is responsible for all this?
DR. HAFIL B. ABDULGANI
Bandung, West Java